Fall and winter are a time where you may have to admit, laziness can occur. The cold weather, Thanksgiving, holiday dinners and vacation can keep you from eating healthy and exercising everyday. Don’t worry: these tips will help you set your limit and keep you from going overboard.

Set your goal and limit:

If your goal to stay healthy is too general or vague, you will less likely to 100% reach your goal. Establish specific guidelines including a weekly meal and exercise plan. For example, you can allow yourself to eat one or two desserts a week and walk thirty minutes a day. Regularity and uniformity is key to helping you reach your goal.

Fall foods:

Eating fruits and vegetables based on each season are helpful because it is more affordable, more nutritious, and it tastes better. Pumpkins, apples, and Brussels sprouts are all in season!

Enhance your immune system:

It is typical that this season is known for people getting sick, especially children who are in school. To help you from getting sick this fall, eat simple and nutritious foods. Limit sugary foods and boost your vitamin intake!

Hydrate:

Even if it’s not hot like in the summer, it is still important keep yourself hydrated to keep your body running well and staying healthy.

At home fitness:

Just because it is cold outside, doesn’t mean you have to stop working out. You can create a small workout station in your home. You can do similar exercises that will keep you just as fit as you would if you were working outside.

You’re probably thinking, that is absolutely impossible, but you would do anything to eliminate stress from your life. Stress is by far the number one factor that people deal with almost everyday. Whether it is work, school or other obligations, it widely affects our lives in the worst ways.

If you conquer stress, you are set for life. Feeling stress-free will automatically improve your mind, health, and body. Here are some tips to eliminate stress from your life:

Identify the stressors

Take a few minutes to think about all the things that are making you stressed out. Make a list if you want. See which things you can eliminate that are making you stressed out, and things that you absolutely cannot eliminate. For the things that cannot be eliminated, strategize ways to make them less stressful. That is the first step into living a reduced stress life.

Stop unnecessary duties

Everyone has obligations in their life like work, school, running errands, etc, but are you taking on other commitments that are adding unnecessary stress to your life? Take steps to delete those activities that stress you out the most. This will already lift a weight off of your shoulder.

Procrastination

All of us have procrastinated in our life at least once…or twice. Procrastination is one of the largest factors that cause us stress. You have a big project to do and you end up spending hours and hours trying to finish it the day before it is due. Allowing things to keep piling up does cause us a lot of stress. Find different ways to organize your responsibilities and create a top priority pile. Learning to be more organized and keeping your inbox clear will save you a lot of time to work on other things for yourself.

Being late

Being late to a very important meeting or to a class is something that stresses us out frequently. If you forget to set your alarm the night before, the feeling of having to rush to get everything ready and run out of the door is not fun at all. Learn ways to be early to places. Time yourself on how long it takes you to get ready and out the door, then set your alarm accordingly. Once you get in the habit of being early, you will more stress-free than ever before.

Get a massage!

Did you know, massages are equivalent to getting 7-8 hours of sleep? When you don’t get enough sleep, stress piles on making your muscles extremely tense. After that one hour massage session, you will feel better already. Getting massages now and then will take the feeling of stress away and will help you feel a lot more relaxed in a short amount of time. Cope with your stress by scheduling a massage with us today! Find your location here.

We try so many different ways to relax and cope with stress. Some of the techniques we try might not work, but here are some methods that will work proven by scientists:

Get a massage

Well that was simple. Getting a massage is a great way to relax and destress. A study testing the effects of back massages proved that people who received them had less stiffness and a decreased level of cortisol, the hormone that is connected with stress.

Meditate

An analysis that looked at different studies of relaxation trainings with people who had anxiety disorders and the effects of meditation were more positive than any other trainings that were done. Other studies also proved that meditation is a great technique for reducing anxiety and depression.

Exercise on the regular

In order to have a relaxed mind, you need to have a relaxed body. According to Harvard Medical school, “The relaxed body will, in turn, send signals of calm and control that help reduce mental tension.” You can choose any activity or workout you want that will keep your body and muscles moving. Exercising regularly will reduce endorphins and stress hormones.

A Warm Bath

According to the National Institute of Health, taking a warm bath increases blood flow which reduces the stiffness and pain in your muscle. The feeling of your body in warm water will ultimately ease your mind.

It’s finally summer! It’s now time to relax, go on vacation, and try new things. With a little extra time, there are simple and fun things you can do to be healthier and give yourself a natural boost of energy. Here are some to get you started:

1. Berries!

If you are looking to improve your diet, berries are the answer. At least once a day, have a cup of anything with the word berries in it. Strawberries, blackberries, or blueberries. These are rich in antioxidants and fiber and will help prevent tissue damage as well as reduce the risk of age related illnesses or diseases. If you have a history of high cholesterol, berries can help lower your cholesterol and even prevent types of cancers!

2. Time to get dirty!

Everyone has a time in their life, or several times where you feel STRESSED. If you are under a lot of of stress, these are a few simple and fun things you can do to relieve the anxiety and tension: Plant a garden, could be small or big, create a flower box or plant a few pots. The grounding feeling of putting your hands in soil makes you feel good and gives you relief from stress.

3. Floss=Boss

Start flossing everyday, even if it’s so easy to forget. It reduces oral bacteria, and improves your overall health. If you do this, your already healthier than more than 80% of the United States!

4.Go Outside and release some energy!

Going to the gym can be annoying, so pick an outdoor activity like a hike or rollerblading so you enjoy yourself while exercising. Playing football with your family outside or dancing with your friends is a great way to work out without even noticing, plus its perfect bonding time with friends and family!

5. Its time to get away

How does going away for vacation even improve health? Well, going away for a few days to relax and detach from reality lowers heart rate, blood pressure, and stress hormones. Its time to book your vacation now!

If a vacation isn’t within your reach right now, you can always schedule a daycation with Massage Envy which is another way to feel healthier and reduce stress levels. Its an alternative and natural source of medication!

Do you find yourself at work scrolling through your Facebook news feed every 5 minutes when you are supposed to be focusing on that project that is due at the end of the day? Focusing is surprisingly one of the hardest things a human can do on a day to day basis. But don’t worry, these four tricks will help you get your work done in a timely manner without fiddling around.

1. Take a Breather.

Two short breaks an hour should do the trick. Creating a periodic division where you take a breather twice an hour will make it easier to get what you need done for a longer period of time. How? Your brain adapts and gets habituated to what the stimulus is. This results you to stop and remind yourself of your goal to stay concentrated.

2. Turn off or put away your phone.

This seems like the hardest thing, but it is actually the factor that causes you to make mistakes on a task you have on the computer. A study from Florida State University showed that the group who constantly received text notifications and calls got more mistakes than the group who put their phone away.

3. Do not multi-task.

Are you eating dinner, watching Netflix, and finishing up a task from work? Instead of doing all these three things, stick to focusing on just one or two. A study revealed that your brain can’t handle 3 or more large tasks at once. The medial prefrontal cortex, a part of your brain is able to divide work in half, which leaves no room for a third.

4. Practice breathing techniques.

When you are on your break either at home or at work, take deep breaths and focus on your inhales and exhales. This technique can improve your performance by letting your mind focus on what is currently going on in the present instead of letting it wander.

1. Increases Energy & Relieves Fatigue – Since your brain is mostly water, drinking it helps you think, focus and concentrate better, and be more alert. As an added bonus, your energy levels are also boosted!

5. Maintains Regularity – Aids in digestion, as water is essential to digest your food, and prevents constipation.

6. Boosts Immune System – A water guzzler is less likely to get sick. And who wouldn’t rather feel healthy the majority of the time? Drinking plenty of water helps fight against flu, cancer, and other ailments like heart attacks.

How often to you think to yourself during the day about how tired you are, and you can’t quite wait until you can finally go home and go to sleep? Of course, by the time you get home and ready for bed you realize your mind is not ready to go sleep, leaving you wide awake for countless hours. Here are a few tips to unwind and relax your mind to get a better sleep.

Turn off the screens
The key to unwinding your mind before bed is to turn off your screens. Whether it is the television, cellphone, tablet etc.- these bright lights makes it hard for the body to switch to sleep mode.

Write down stress or worries
If you lay in bed and think about what needs to be done the next day make a list before going to bed to help clear your mind when it is actually bedtime.

Stretching Before Laying Down
Especially after a long and busy day your body can become sore and tense leaving it hard to get a restful night sleep. By spending a few minutes before bed stretching and breathing it will relax your mind and body as you prepare to go to sleep.

Take a warm bath or shower
This by far not only unwinds your mind but also relaxes your whole body before bed. By leaving the warm water to the cold temperature this helps your body and mind prepare to sleep mode.

Do you ever feel like time is just dragging? You may be feeling more sluggish or tired, and not worrying so much about your body and health. Sometimes life can get you down, but it is our own duties to keep our spirits high. Here are a few tips to keep you going during the rough times:

#1 GET A MASSAGE

It’s really quite simple. We promise you won’t regret your decision. A massage could be the kickstart to a new week and a new mind set.

#2 TAKE A WALK

If you have an office job, you may know this dilemma very well. The sun is almost rising on your way to work and the sun sets just as you are getting out. Fresh air is so important when we are feeling down. It could really change your entire day around by just spending 15 minutes outside.

#3 SPOIL YOURSELF

I’m sure most of us can say that we don’t spoil ourselves as much as we should. Life is short, buy those shoes you’ve been staring at for far too long.

Rough times will pass! So make sure that you keep a positive outlook and you take care of yourself every day of the year.

Don’t let all your hard work at the gym go to waste. You need all the energy to give it your all during your workout to see the best results. Here are 8 snacks you should be eating before and after the gym:

Pre-Workout Snacks

Banana and Peanut Butter

Coconut Water

Breakfast Smoothie

Oatmeal

Post-Workout Snacks

Quinoa

Turkey Sandwich

Chocolate Milk

Chai Seeds

Get the most out our your exercise routine, and make sure that every week you take some time to cater to yourself and take care of your body.